Pharmacy (PharmD)
PharmD Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Pharmacy is practiced in a wide range of settings: community pharmacies, hospitals, long term care facilities, the pharmaceutical industry, mail service, managed care, and government.
Pharmacy programs take four years and may be completed after earning your bachelor’s degree or after at least two years of undergraduate coursework that includes the prerequisite courses.
Prerequisite The following are UF courses required for most pharmacy schools. Requirements vary from school to school, so it is your responsibility to check requirements of Courses individual programs:
General Chemistry: CHM2045/L and CHM2046/L or CHM2051;OR CHM2047/L
(CHM2054L may be substituted for CHM2045L and CHM2046L)
General Biology: BSC2010/L and BSC2011/L (BSC2044L may be substituted for
BSC2010L and BSC2011L)
Organic Chemistry: CHM2210 or CHM2212 and CHM2211 or CHM2213 and
CHM2211L (CHM3217, CHM3218, and CHM2211L may substitute)
Physics*: PHY2053/L or PHY2048/L or PHY2060/2064L and PHY2054/L or
PHY2049/L or PHY2061/2064L
Biochemistry: BCH4024 or CHM3218
Microbiology: MCB3020/L or MCB3023/L
Anatomy and Physiology: APK2100C and APK2105C or PHY4723C and
ZOO3713C
Math: STA2023 and MAC2311
Economics*: ECO2013 or ECO2023 English: Two semesters of any English department course. Examples are
ENC1101, ENC1102, ENC3254, LIT2110)
Public Speaking*: SPC2608 or AEE3030C
*Not required at UF.
Major You may choose ANY major and go on to pharmacy school.
Pharmacy schools do not have a preference for any particular major. Choose a
major based on your own personal interests and strengths. It doesn’t need to be a
science major; majors in the social sciences or humanities are just fine as long as
you take the prerequisite courses. We recommend that non-science majors take a
few additional science courses beyond the prerequisites.
Application PharmCAS: Pharmacy Centralized Application Service
Services
Admissions Test PCAT: Pharmacy College Application Test
The sections of the PCAT are:
-Verbal Ability
-Quantitative Ability
-Biology
-Chemistry
-Reading Comprehension
-Writing
Timing of Many pharmacy schools conduct admissions on a rolling basis, which gives preference to candidates who apply early in the application season. For your best Application chance of admission in any given year, you should apply early.
PharmCAS starts accepting applications around July 1st each year, for the following
year’s entering class.
Reference Guide The Pharmacy School Admission Requirements (PSAR) guide. for School You may download sections of the guide or order a printed copy through the
Selection American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy website.
Number of Most students apply to around 5 schools. schools to apply to For guidance on choosing schools, watch our workshop on Choosing Schools, use
the references above, and visit individual school websites.
Letters of We recommend 2-4 individual letters for most programs (this varies by school, check individual school requirements): Recommendation
-One to two letters from science professors who have taught you in a lecture
course
-One to two letters from a non-relative, practicing pharmacist whom you have
shadowed or worked with
Personal Pre-pharmacy students should engage in extracurricular activities that develop and Attributes and demonstrate the personal attributes that are valued in pharmacists. Students are encouraged to participate in meaningful volunteering and shadowing, community Experiences service, research, and leadership experiences that will help them gain an
understanding of the profession and their future patients. See our Prepare section
to learn more.
The programs in Florida are: Florida Programs • Florida A&M University • Nova Southeastern University • Palm Beach Atlantic University • University of Florida
• American Pharmacists Association Resources • American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy • Pharmacy Colleges Application Service (PharmCAS)
Sample timeline for pre-pharmacy students. Suggested
Timelines